Individual pneumatic-action mechanism.



W. F. DEITEMEIER.

INDIVIDUAL PNEUMATIC ACTION MECHANISM.

INVENTOR WITN mssms:

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHO., WASHINGTON D. c.

WILLIAM F. IJEITEME IER, 0F SAN-FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

INDIVIDUAL INEUMATIC-ACTION MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1915.

Application filed February 25, 1914. Serial No. 820,828.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. DEITE- MEIER, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Individual Pneumatic-Action Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to individual pneumatic actions for automatic instruments, such, for instance, as player pianos, and particularly to an improved valve therefor.

The objects of the present invention are manifold, and among them is theprovision of an individual pneumatic action for automatic musical instruments, such as player pianos in which there will be as direct a flow of air to and from the several parts of the action as is possible; it is a further object to economize in the amount of movement of air by shortening the'passages of the valve, to provide an individual pneumatic action, which is of extremely compact form both as to size and as to arrangement of the interior chambers and the controlling elements therein.

It is a further and important object of the invention to provide a pneumatic action, the elements of which are of the most simple nature and design of construction, and in -which the main body or block is substantially of one piece, such body having the chambers for the moving elements so positioned as to be readily formed and to permit ready accessibility of the valve parts in case ofinspection and repair.

It is a further object of'the invention to so design a pneumatic action that it will occupy a minimum space, permitting its ready adjustment in regular size piano cases without enlargement or alteration thereof, and

further, to provide a pneumatic action which will be practically impervious to dust deposits. I

I The invention consists in the construction of and combination of parts, which will be more fully described in the following specification, and shown in the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a central vertical section through the improved individual pneumatic action. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical 'cross section of the block.

- In the drawing is shown in section a vacuum chamber, or chest 2, 1n which a partial vacuum is maintained by a suitable is provided with a top surface 4: and is hermetically sealed upon the bottom of the vacuum chamber 2, which latter has a plurality of ports, one of which is shown at 5 as communicating with a longitudinally extending relatively shallow chamber 6 formed in the upper portion of block 3.

The longitudinal chamber 6 is enlarged and deepened at one end, preferably the outer end, or that toward the piano abstract rods so as to form a shallow annular chamber 7 covered by a flexible diaphragm 8, to which is suitably connected a plate or disk 9, this in turn being suitably connected to the adjacent end of the lever 10, pivoted at 10. Said lever lies lengthwise in the longitudinal chamber 6, and its opposite end is provided with a downwardly projecting valve-stem 11, having on its lower end a valve plate, or shutter 12, which is adapted to oscillate in a valve chamber 13, which opens directly to the atmosphere through a port 14.

The lower portion of the action block 3 is relieved and tapers from a shoulder portion at one end adjacent to the valve shutter 12 upwardly toward the opposite end of the block 3, and below this tapering portion there is provided a bellows 15, with a leaf 16 from the outer swinging end of which projects a horn 17. This horn is disposed so as to engage when moving upwardly with a suitable abutment member 18 appropriately and adjustably connected to the abstract rod, a portion of which is shown at 19, and which may be operated manually through the piano key 20, a portion of which only is shown. The chamber of the bellows 15 is in direct communication through the shortest possible connection as by a duct 21, leading from the shallow end of the bellows chamber into the valve chamber 13. The opposite, or upper and lower walls of the valve chamber 13 form respective seats for the valve plate, or shutter 12,

the valve chamber 13, then the bellows chamber is in direct communication with the atmosphere through the port 1 1.

The shallow diaphragm chamber 7 beneath the diaphragm 8 is provided with a laterally extending port or passage-way 22, to which may be connected in any suitable manner a conductor 23, which is connected to the tracker-board in the usual manner. When the note sheet is running over the tracker-board, and one of its perforations registers with the coordinate aperture as of a conductor 23, this allows atmospheric pressure to enter the duct 22 and its communicating diaphra m chamber 7, atmospheric pressure reacting upon the diaphragm 8 in conjunction with the attenuated air, or vacuum in the chamber 6, which. is in direct communication with the vacuum chamber through the port 5. This reaction of the atmospheric pressure of the diaphragm 8 rocks the lever 10 about its fulcrum 10, so as to depress the valve shutter 12, moving it into tight engagement with the lowermost wall of the chamber 18, and incidentally opening communication between the chambers 6 and 13 and the chamber of the bellows 15, this being established to the latter through the direct short port 21 leading into the valve chamber 13, the downwardly moving valve 12 shutting oil? communication through the atmospheric port 1 1 of the bellows chamber. This change of position of the valve shutter 12 results in the upward movement of the bellows-back, or leaf 16, acting through its horn 17 to impel its respective abstract rod upwardly when engaging the coordinate abutment member 18.

Upon the closure of the inlet orifice at the tracker-board of the conductor 28, atmospheric communication of the duct 22 and its diaphragm chamber 7 is again interrupted and the pressure in the diaphragm chamber 7 is again equalized as to that in the vacuum chamber 6 of the block 3, and of the vacuum chamber 2 by introducing a constricted equalizing port or throttle, which is shown in Fig. 2, as a small vent or by-pass 22 leading from the duct 22 vertically upward through the body of the block 3, and having communication through the shallow transverse channel 6 with the vacuum chamber 6.

When the inlet orifice of the conductor 23, and therefore, of the channel 22 and its diaphragm chamber 7, is closed at the tracker board, then communication through the equalizing port 22 with the duct 22 again reduces the pressure in the diaphragm chamber 7, so that the diaphragm is retracted and the valve lifted from its lowermost seat over the atmospheric port 14: and moves against its upper seat, so as to close the vacuum chamber 6, the port 22 operating to connect the vacuum chambers above and below the diaphragm 8.

By my present construction I have been enabled to produce an individual pneumatic action, with a substantially unitary or integral body member, such as block 8, and have been able to mount therein at opposite ends of, and on the common side of a connecting lever, a diaphragm and a valve disk or shutter, and by this arrangement have been enabled to avoid super-posing the valve shutter and the diaphragm vith its chamber, with the direct and beneficial result of obtaining a very shallow block and pneumatic action, and also of obtaining chambers of ample size, and yet of minimum depth and volume, thus avoiding the creation of unnecessary dead air chambers or space. The effect of this construction is to overcome untoward resistance of inert masses of air, and with the beneficial effect that by decreasing the size of the chambers the rapidity of the movement of air in the several chambers. channels and ports, will be accelerated and produce a quicker action of the movable elements.

It will be observed that when the block 3 is attached to the bottom of the vacuum chest 2, the shallow open vacuum chamber 6 is closed by the vacuum chest, and the only aperture or port of action which opens to the atmosphere is the port 14:, and this is relatively inverted so that no particles of foreign substances or dust will collect upon the seat by natural settlement, and therefore, I avoid the the possibility of a leaky construction, due to such natural deposits of dust as occur in all actions of this type in which the atmospheric port is so disposed that the seat of the valve would afford a resting place for dust particles constantly settling.

In addition to the foregoing advantages derived from the construction of the present pneumatic action, it will be readily apparent by referring to Fig. 2 that when the action is disconnected from the vacuum chamber or chest 2 the upper vacuum chamber 6 is entirely exposed and leaves the only moving element of the valve mechanism, and that is the lever 10. in full and plain view, not only thus providing ready access for inspection and repair, but also enabling the ready assemblage and positioning and securing of these elements during the manufacture of the device, thus materially reducing the cost of manufacture.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An individual pneumatic action, comprising, in combination, a vacuum chest having a port in its bottom wall; an action block whereon said chest is mounted having a longitudinal chamber in its upper surface which is covered by said chest and enlarged and deepened at one end to form a diaphragm chamber and is connected at its other end with said chest by said port, said block being provided with a duct leading at one end into the diaphragm chamber, and with a valve chamber opening at its lower end into the atmosphere and at its upper end into the second-named end of the longitudinal chamber; a diaphragm located in the diaphragm chamber above the inlet end of said duct; a valve located in the valve chamber and movable into position to close either end thereof, said valve having a stem which projects through the upper end of said chamber into the longitudinal chamber; a centrally-fulcrumed lever mounted in the longitudinal chamber and attached at one end to said diaphragm and at the other end to the valve stem; a bellows connected to said block and having a connecting duct leading to the valve chamber; and a tracker-board conductor connected to the first-named duct.

2. An individual pneumatic action, comprising, in combination, a vacuum chest having a port in its bottom Wall; an action block whereon said chest is mounted having a longitudinal chamber in its upper surface which is covered by said chest and enlarged and deepened at one end to form a diaphragm chamber and is connected at its other end with said chest by said port, the second named end of said chamber having a lateral channel extending therefrom, said block being provided with a duct leading at one end into the diaphragm chamber and an equalizing port connecting said duct and said channel, and with a valve chamber; and a tracker-board conductor connected to the first-named duct.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM F. DEITEMEIER.

Witnesses:

ROBERT FAY, M. A. DEITEMEIER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

